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As a longtime executive for the Yankees, the signature of Ed Barrow can be found on countless documents and contracts from his decades in the game. What sets apart this and many pieces in the collection is the content and story behind the piece.

In this letter date June 11, 1941, Barrow apologizes to the sons of baseball concessionaire Harry Stevens for missing the funeral of their mother. Barrow writes, “We seriously considered attending the funeral services, and would have done so but for the fact that we were both a little bit under the weather after the strain of poor Lou Gehrig’s death and funeral.”

Gehrig, who passed away just nine days earlier was a favorite of Barrow. The executive made Gehrig’s #4 the first retired number in the history of baseball. In fact, Barrow was the first executive to put numbers on uniforms at all.

He was also the first executive to allow fans to keep foul balls that entered the stands as well as the first to require the playing of the US national anthem before every game.

Ed Barrow was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.

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In the collection is a payroll check made out to Tony Lazzeri signed by Hall of Famers Jacob Ruppert, Ed Barrow, and Lazzeri. Lazzeri was enjoying another outstanding year when this was written on August 15th, 1930.

He posted a career high 121 runs batted in during the 1930 campaign and hit over .300 for the fourth consecutive season. Yankee owner Ruppert and his right-hand man Barrow have boldly signed the front of the check.

The Yankees recognized Barrow’s service to the club was recognized when he was given a plaque in Monument Park in 1954.

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The Washington Senators were a charter member of the American League when the league was formed in 1901. Performing dismally their first decade of existence, their fortunes changed when they hired Clark Griffith as their manager in 1912. In each of his first four years at the helm, Griffith guided Washington to winning seasons.

Despite their winning ways, the team didn’t draw well in DC, finishing in the bottom half of the league in home attendance every single year. In fact, from 1901 through 1917, Washington was last in attendance in eight seasons and next to last another five other times.

With the sustainability of a team in Washington in question, rumors started swirling that the team would move to another city. In the collection is this telegram dated June 5, 1917 sent by Ed Barrow to Toronto Maple Leafs owner Lawrence “Lol” Soloman.

The Maple Leafs were part of the International League, an organization Barrow repeatedly tried to make into a third Major League. Barrow owned and managed the Maple Leafs in the early 1900s; Soloman later served as team president. When the telegram was sent, Soloman still had big league dreams. Those dreams would never come to fruition.

The telegram reads, “Absolutely nothing in Washington story. President (Ban) Johnson has made denial in afternoon papers here today. American League will keep club in Washington, the capitol of the United States for sentimental reasons.”

The correspondence is more than a century old and provides a glimpse into the inner workings of the early stages of the game.

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Before gaining fame as the Yankee general manager Ed Barrow held a number of positions in baseball including president of the Eastern League. In 1911 with two franchises in Canada, Barrow wanted the league to be called, “The International League”.

To facilitate the change Barrow needed the blessing of August Herrmann. As president of the National Commission from 1903-1920 Herrmann served as de facto commissioner of baseball.

Notice the letterhead that alludes to this fact. Below the “National Commission” banner atop the letter are the words, “Created by the National Agreement for the Government of Professional Base Ball”. In this letter as president of the National Commission Herrmann writes to Barrow about the possible name change.

The two men would see eye-to-eye and Eastern League became tInternational League before the start of the 1912 campaign. Herrmann himself has a solid resumé for Cooperstown.

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Hall of Fame executive Ed Barrow spent most of his adult life in professional baseball. Though he spent more than a half century in the game, not a single season was spent in the National League. Along the way he introduced lifetime Senior Circuit man Fred Clarke to baseball and eventually helped him get into the Hall of Fame.

In the late 1880s Barrow was a newspaper man with the Des Monies Leader. Soon he organized a highly-competitive amateur baseball team, the Des Moines Mascots.

According to Angelo Louise’s SABR biography, Clarke began delivering papers for Barrow’s outfit where he was first exposed to the game. Seeing the 16-year old’s interest and enthusiasm for baseball, Barrow asked him to try out for the team. Clarke performed well enough to earn a promotion to an Iowa semipro team two years later. Then in 1892 Clarke became a full time professional player with the Hastings club of the Nebraska State League.

By the time he retired as a player, Clarke had 2,678 hits, 1,622 runs, 1,015 RBI, 509 stolen bases and a 133 OPS+. He also turned in a 19-year managerial career that included four National League pennants and the 1909 World Series title.

Despite his accomplishments, Clarke had to wait for Cooperstown induction. As the Hall of Fame cleared the generals off the shelf, the deserving Clarke was on the outside looking in after the first 8 elections.

That changed when old friend Ed Barrow stepped up. Shown here is a letter dated January 10, 1945 written by Barrow to Hall of Fame treasurer and future Hall president Paul Kerr.

Barrow writes, “Please add the name of Fred Clarke to my list of candidates to Baseball’s Hall of Fame at Cooperstown.”With Barrow in his corner, Clarke was elected in the very next vote.

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In the collection is this 11×14 photo of Joe DiMaggio shaking hands with Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert. Ed Barrow was instrumental in the signing of DiMaggio.

The Yankee Clipper had four years of pro experiencing in the Pacific Coast League when Ed Barrow came calling on behalf of the New York club.

Playing for his hometown San Francisco Seals, DiMaggio hit .398 in 1935. Barrow swaggered in with a $25,000 contract offer and persuaded the two-year old to sign with New York.

DiMaggio’s outstanding play and stabilizing influence ensured another successful era as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig wound down their careers.

In this photo, a smiling Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert shakes hands with his young star. DiMaggio has signed this boldly across his chest.

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In the collection is the the 1925 contract for Pee Wee Wanninger. Ed Barrow has signed, “Jacob Ruppert“, the name of the Yankee president who was supposed to have signed at the bottom. This was a common practice as Barrow signed Ruppert’s name to a number of contracts.

What sets this contract apart is that it’s for Paul “Pee Wee” Wanninger, the man who had a hand in starting and stopping two of the most prolific consecutive games streaks in the history of baseball.

Cal Ripken holds the all-time record for consecutive games played with 2,632. Second on the list is Lou Gehrig with 2,130; third is Everett Scott with 1,307. Pee Wee Wanninger is tied to both men behind Ripken.

In the 1925 season a 32-year old Scott was slipping at shortstop and at the plate. When Yankee manager Miller Huggins saw fit to bench Scott and end the streak, he turned to the rookie Wanninger. On May 5th, 1925 Wanninger started in place of Scott to end what is still the third longest run in MLB history.

Four weeks later Huggins called on 22-year old Lou Gehrig to pinch hit for Wanninger in what would be the start of Gehrig’s own streak.

This document sends Wanninger to the minor leagues for the entire 1924 campaign, the year before he’d be involved in the two streaks.